Fortitude
by Auto-Regen
Summary: K to M.  Yaoi.  Angeal gets to meet his student's trooper friend through some strange course of events.
1. Chapter 1

I wanted this to be a oneshot... I really did. But I feel the need to post between updates on Unwound.

I really like seeing Angeal and Cloud together. Zack's gotta be in there too of course, but I have a difficult time writing for pairings like threesomes and 4P. Love to read it, have nightmares about writing it. The idea sprouted when I thought on the lack of Angeal/Cloud fan fiction... Zack is my connection between the two; Because at first he sees Cloud like a little brother that needs protecting from the Boogeyman, and sympathizes with an innocent small town boy that chose the city over growing up in the boonies. Zack has seen a lot, and in my mind that would give him a respect for innocence. Angeal is slowly learning more about Cloud throughout and when they finally meet I hope for romance. I'm not sure if I'm going to add Zack into the pairing just yet or if he's going to remain as a sort of guardian to Cloud's virtue.

There will be man loving, so if you didn't see that in the description... Yeah, there it is. Don't like, by all means hitting the back button won't hurt my feelings.

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><p>"I met a really cool guy the other day. We're both from the boonies," Zack told his mentor as he picked at his lunch. Angeal raised an eyebrow at him and watched him tilt his take out carton to pick the meat out of his stir-fry. He scowled at his student and took the fork from him. Zack made an indignant noise, but didn't try to retrieve it; bright blue eyes watched as the utensil stabbed into numerous vegetables before being offered to him. The younger First eyed the greens on the end with disdain. "Thank you Mother," he growled before gingerly taking the offensive offering. Angeal simply smiled at him before he resumed eating his own meal.<p>

"Another SOLDIER from Gongaga?" slate-blue eyes looked up at the younger, watching to make sure that the boy ate his vegetables. Zack's face was stony and serious as he glared at his fork, "That's not gonna make them go away Zack just because you don't like them. Eat, they're good for you." Angeal continued to watch him until the young SOLDIER sighed in defeat and shoved the fork into his mouth. The older SOLDIER only lowered his eyes when he was sure Zack had swallowed the veggies. "So?" he questioned quietly, lifting another forkful to his mouth.

"Huh?… Oh, no. He's an infantryman and he's from some place called 'Nibelheim'," the younger went back to talking. It was something that made Angeal smile, the fact that Zack was so open with him. As he talked he absentmindedly waved his fork around. "He was, like, really ill when we got out of the truck. So I walked over to see what was wrong and the poor guy was dry heaving, he said he hadn't eaten breakfast because he knew he was going to be in the transport. I didn't really get it until one of the other infantrymen told me that the guy always gets motion sick when he's tossed around too much," the young first stabbed at his lunch again before lifting a medley of meat, rice and vegetables up to his constantly moving mouth.

Angeal smiled softly, though he felt bad for the man. "Poor guy, must be hard considering those guys are always on the move," Zack nodded as he chewed, knowing better than to open his mouth and talk while there was food in it.

"I know, right? So I fell back a little in the group to walk beside him and make sure that he was okay. I thought he may have been around my age, and all the other guys were, ya know, older. I couldn't really tell though because of those stupid helmets that they have to wear… We got to talking and he laughed at me when I told him where I was from, so I kinda bowed up at him. He only laughed harder at that and I, in a fit of genius, could think of nothing to do other than laugh with him. When I got around to asking him where he was from he got a little serious and sorta, I dunno, pouted? It looked like it anyway, but he told me he was from that Nibelheim place," Zack physically drooped a little, even his hair seemed to flatten slightly, "He seemed a little upset that I asked. But after a minute or two he gave me this little half smile and asked if there was a reactor near Gongaga. When I said yeah he nodded and told me there was a really old one in Nibelheim too," the younger First smiled a little and sat back in his chair, abandoning his takeout carton.

"Nice to find someone that you have something in common with?" Angeal asked before the statement could leave Zack's mouth. The boy's smile grew and he nodded. The older First knew that his student didn't have many people that he could relate to in SOLDIER, most were from wealthy families in the larger cities. It wasn't often small town boys got involved in the trouble that Shin-Ra caused.

"Yeah…" Zack's smile softened and his eyes glowed brighter than normal. He really was happy. The peaceful moment was interrupted by an odd buzzing noise that made Angeal look up from his meal. Zack laughed him before fishing his phone out of his fatigues. "Oh, speak of the devil," he grinned at his mentor and flipped the phone open, "Hey, I was just talkin' about you."

Angeal tried not to listen in but it was difficult because of how quiet the room was when Zack shut his mouth to listen. The low, soft sounding voice on the other end of the phone chuckled, "_Really? Maybe I should start talking about you when you aren't around to hear it._" He sounded good natured, but rather young to be in the army.

"Hey! Watch how you talk to the higher-ups. I'm First Class for a reason," Zack was trying to sound indignant but it was ruined by the laugh in his voice.

"_Ooh, pulling rank. First Class? You mean No Class I had to save your butt when you were busy trying to show off,_" the voice on the other end laughed. Zack's eyes went wide as the flitted over to Angeal. He knew that the man was going to give him a lecture on that, he'd told his student multiple times that he needed to focus when he was in the field.

"Ugh, Cloud! You promised you wouldn't speak of that ever, remember?" Zack whined into his phone.

"_I promised nothing. Even if I would have you didn't give me a chance, you're mouth kept moving,_" Cloud's voice was playful as he teased the SOLDIER. He suddenly got quiet and his voice became muffled. After a long moment he returned to talking, "_Sorry, that redheaded Turk that was on the mission with us keeps popping up to talk to me._" Cloud chuckled nervously, "_I think he's following me._"

Zack scowled at that, and stood up abruptly. He muffled his phone by pressing it to his shoulder. "I gotta go, thanks for lunch Angeal. I'll buy next time," with that being said he lifted the phone back to his ear and headed to the door. "Hey Cloudy, where're ya at? Reno still around?" Zack sounded friendly, but Angeal knew the younger SOLDER operative had less than innocent intentions in finding the redhead.

The door shut behind the young First and Angeal shook his head. Unsure of whether he should call Tseng, or just let things play out.


	2. Chapter 2

So yeah, if you decided to stick around for another chapter I'm glad. Thank you for the support.

Reno's 'crime' will be revealed later. For now I'll let you speculate.

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><p>Zack sighed for the nth time that afternoon, the raven haired teen was being exceptionally loud; ensuring that Angeal would hear his displeasure. The burly man really hated to punish his student, but Tseng had insisted he keep his 'puppy' on a leash; so, he had done exactly that. Zack was sitting on the floor beside Angeal's desk, with a dog collar and leash tethering him to the solid work area. He'd been there since that morning.<p>

"'geal, can I at least have my phone? I'm so bored," Zack griped loudly. His back was to the side of the desk and his arms were outstretched over bent knees. Angeal couldn't see his face, but he could easily picture the teen's expression.

"Punishment Zack. Reno is in the infirmary for two days-" the larger man was speaking softly, but Zack still wasn't going to listen.

"He deserved it!" the usually excitable SOLDIER shouted.

"You broke his hand, Zack! And last time I checked, Turks need those…" Angeal said firmly. "You're lucky this is all I did, I could have had you assigned to guard duty," he huffed irritably.

"I'm sorry Angeal…" it was almost a silent whisper as it passed Zack's lips. "I- I got carried away…" the teen hung his head and really thought about the situation he had put himself in, "But, ya know what? Reno's ambidextrous, so he'll live."

Angeal tried not to laugh, he dropped his head and let out an exasperated sigh instead. "That's hardly the point…" he wasn't sure what Reno had done but if he had made Zack angry it must have been something serious; his student hardly ever lost his temper. The larger man couldn't bring himself to ask for some reason unknown to him.

A buzzing caught the older SOLDIER's attention. Slate blue eyes fell on the company issue PHS on the corner of his desk. Zack's PHS… His student perked a little, hoping his mentor would at least let him answer it. Angeal humored the idea for a moment but without thinking answered the phone himself. Zack drooped visibly.

"_Zack, how could you? He said it was an accident…_" a boyish voice scolded from the other end. Angeal smiled softly.

"Is this Cloud?" the large SOLDIER asked, already knowing the answer. The other end of the phone went silent before a soft, undeterminable sound was made.

"_U-um… I-Is Zack there?_" the poor boy sounded embarrassed. Angeal finally let out the laugh he'd been holding back, it came out as a hearty sound.

"Yes, he is here. But I'm sorry to say that you cannot talk to him," he told the faceless teen softly, also aiming his response at Zack to answer the unasked question of if he could talk to his friend.

"_O-Oh… Is he in trouble?_" there was shuffling on the other end of the phone that made Angeal wonder what the trooper could be doing. Then he heard another voice, muffled and drawn out. Reno. The redhead was stating that if Zack wasn't in trouble he should be.

"Is the… Victim of Zack's temper with you?" the slate eyed man asked while eyeing his student for a response. The young SOLDIER stiffened and whipped his head around to look at him with wide eyes that blazed with an unknown emotion.

"_Yes. I'm visiting him in the infirmary,_" Cloud sounded guilty. Somehow Angeal knew that the boy was the cause of the problem between the Turk and his student.

"Cloud stay away from him, he's a pervert and a liar," Zack said loudly enough for the boy to hear him. Angeal gave him a warning look but the younger man stayed defiant.

There was shuffling on the other end and Reno's voice became clearer, "_Fair, you've lost your damn mind. Can't believe you'd do this over an accident yo._" Cloud complained in the background about his phone being stolen.

"Watch it Turk. I don't know what you did, but if it incurred the wrath of a good natured man like Zack then you probably should be lying low," Angeal warned, defending his student against unknown accusations.

Reno choked on the other end and was silent for a long moment, "_Hewley?_" Cloud sounded awed as he questioned Reno. Angeal smiled at the boy's soft voice asking the obnoxious Turk if he was really talking to General Hewley.

"Yes, this is Hewley." Angeal stated matter-of-factly, his voice almost bored. His eyes however were dancing with amusement as he watched Zack fidget.

"_So, I take it Fair is with you then?_" Reno asked hesitantly, calculating. Angeal didn't like the sound of it and could almost see the sly look on the redhead's face.

"Yes, Zack is here. He's undergoing punishment for his actions," the burly SOLDIER said carefully. There was a shuffling sound on the other end of the phone and then muffled talking. Zack was listening intently, wide blue eyes full of panic as Angeal admitted his location. He knew something the larger man didn't about the situation…

More shuffling and the line went dead. The larger man hadn't been expecting that… "Hello?" he asked softly, confused. He pulled the phone from his ear and looked down at it for a moment before pressing end. A soft grunt left him as he flipped the phone shut and turned to look at Zack. Only he didn't see his student peaking over the edge of his desk, he saw eyes blazing with something that could only be described as 'Protective'.

The desk screeched as Zack made a brake for the door, pulling Angeal's entire work area with him. The other SOLDIER sat dumbfounded as the leg the leash was tied to was broken clean off the desk in his student's rush to get out the door. Zack was long gone, flying down the hallway at some ungodly speed that would have made Sephiroth envious, with the collar, leash, and desk leg trailing behind him.

The large man listened to the items on his work area slide of and hit the floor, leaving a huge mess of papers, a shattered glass mug and paperweight, along with his computer and desk lamp.

It was just his luck that Sephiroth would walk by at that exact moment, sidestepping the mess like it wasn't even there, and tell him in the most boring voice he possibly could, "Clean that up Hewley."


	3. Chapter 3

*Edited.

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><p>"<em>You might want to consider crating,<em>" the Turk SiC said coldly to the man on the other side of the phone. Angeal grumbled quietly, but Tseng continued to talk anyway.

"Yes, I understand…" Angeal sighed into his phone, "There won't be another incident. You have my word, SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair is receiving a punishment fitting of what he has done."

"_Hmph. We'll see Hewley,_" with that, the Turk cut the line. Angeal was still sitting with the phone to his ear, looking extremely annoyed.

"Hey 'geal? What's 'crating'?" Zack asked from his spot on the mat, a good ten feet from the larger black haired man. His distraction earned him a pop on the arm from Genesis. "Ow! Dammit Genesis that hurt!" Zack griped as he rubbed his arm where the tips of the man's fingers had hit him, "That hurt like hell…"

"Pay attention! You're ruining the mood I've worked so hard to set," the copper haired man warned.

"Ugh! I hate 'Loveless'," Zack groaned and fell onto his side as the Crimson General went on reading aloud.

"That's exactly why it's your punishment…" Angeal said calmly, finally hanging his phone up. "You just had to go and get yourself in more trouble… What am I going to do with you, Zack?" the man asked hopelessly.

Zack pouted at him, "It's not my fault, blame Reno." Genesis was still droning on in the background. "He's the one that started all this crap," the youngest First said quietly, reaching up to scratch his stomach in a lazy manner.

"What did he do to you?" Genesis asked abruptly, now looking up from his book. He loved reading, but instigating was an even larger hobby of his.

"Yes, what exactly did he do, Zack?" Angeal asked suspiciously, though he knew it wasn't Zack that Reno had done something to.

The young First let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in a very Sephiroth-esque gesture. The teen mumbled something that neither of the older men caught.

"Pardon?" the copper haired man asked, amusement clear in his voice.

Zack pulled his hand away from his face and peered through his fall of dark bangs, "I said, he's a pervert." The young SOLDIER seemed extremely irritated as he recalled the events of the past day. When Genesis gestured for him to continue he huffed and did so, "I told you how I met Cloud. The guy has something about him that just made me feel the urge to keep him close, protect him, ya know?… And before you say anything about it being sexual, it's not. He just seems like a long lost little brother…"

Genesis hummed thoughtfully and Angeal just nodded in understanding.

Zack continued, "Well, Reno was on the mission and when I wasn't talking to Cloud, I was talking to him. He made a few… remarks and tried to move in. When he did… I tripped him. He landed flat on his face," the teen snickered, but quit when he saw the disapproving look on Angeal's face. Embarrassed, he lowered his head and murmured the rest of his little story. Genesis moved closer to hear.

"What did he say?" the copper haired man asked, a little too interested. Zack humored him though.

"He said he wondered if he could fit his fist into Cloud's-" Zack looked absolutely mortified when Genesis busted out laughing, he didn't even have to finish the sentence…

"Zack…" the older black haired man half-heartedly scolded. He couldn't really blame Zack for doing what he'd done.

"Oh, 'geal, it was awful… Cloud got all mad, but he didn't know that I was trying to protect him. So I helped Reno up and told him it was an accident, only Cloud didn't believe me so he didn't talk to me for like an hour and I was so bored. Then Reno 'fell' on Cloud and ended up with both his hands on Cloud's butt, and was all like, 'I'm sorry, yo. Zack tripped me again, and I just reached out for the anything close.' And Cloud looked at him for a long time then he forgave him! Reno told him that I tripped him again! Ugh!" Zack fell back onto the mat, on his back and kicked his feet childishly.

"That's why you broke his hand?" Angeal asked, clearly confused. Genesis had started chuckling, his book forgotten for the moment.

"After he did it again yesterday. Yes! Damn right that's why I broke his hand! And I would have broken the other one too, had Cloud not jumped on me… For being a little guy he's pretty strong… Little bastard got me in a headlock and for the life of me I couldn't do anything, I didn't wanna hurt him." Zack's voice started out sounding dark and angry, but by the end it held a form of amusement.

Genesis snickered, earning a murderous look from Zack. Angeal scratched his beard and adverted his eyes.

"Little brother… Did you ever find out how old he was?" Slate eyes turned back to Zack and Genesis. Genesis had finally stopped and was just giving Zack a sly look.

"He's fifteen," His student said irritably. Genesis gagged and Angeal masked his concern. "I have a picture…" Zack announced as he flipped his phone open, "I was gonna show you the day before yesterday but Cloud called and I had to rush out, and you took away my phone for a while..." He was pushing buttons until he turned the phone around and showed them both a picture of a beautiful, fair skinned teenager with pale hair and bright eyes.

Genesis snatched the phone and looked at it closely, "How have I not known about this angel?" Angeal tried to take the phone but Genesis twisted away and continued to look at the picture. "_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end/The goddess descends from the sky/Wings of light and dark spread afar/She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting,_" then he started pushing buttons.

"Don't call Cloud a GIRL!" Zack yelled indignantly, "He's already self-conscious!"

"He has no reason to be, he's beautiful. He could be the Goddess herself, incarnated into human form," Genesis said angrily. Daring Zack to tell him that he was wrong. Blue-green eyes stared at the teenager for a long minute before he looked back down at the phone and continued pressing buttons.

"So, what happened yesterday that made you rush off and destroy my desk?" Angeal asked, grimacing at the memory of cleaning up the mess. The raven haired teen glanced over at him, confused for a moment.

"Oh! Reno wanted the virginity of his lips," Zack said darkly, turning his gaze from Angeal back to Genesis, "You gonna give me my phone back or what?" Genesis ignored him and continued his button mashing.

"Gen?" the dark haired First asked suspiciously.

"Picture message," the copper haired man answered distractedly. It was then that Zack sprung into action.

"Like hell I'm going to let you do dirty things to yourself while lookin' at his picture!" the young SOLDIER growled as he pounced on Genesis and wrestled his phone away. Genesis sat, looking like a mess after Zack had mauled him. His hair was thoroughly ruffled and his clothes more than a little lopsided. Angeal snorted and the copper haired man pouted until his phone buzzed, and Zack looked down at his own phone to see that 'SENT' was on the screen. The teen drooped. Genesis cackled; Sounding suspiciously like Hojo, and that made all three pause and shiver.

Angeal shook his head at the two then reached forward and gently took the handheld from his student. He could almost see the dark little storm cloud looming over the teenager's head. His eyes went back to the phone as he began scrolling through pictures until he reached the messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

The boy really was beautiful. Soft features, though definitely male. Big blue eyes that almost glowed, straight nose the led down to full, soft looking lips, the outline of his face still held a boyish look, and his hair was wild and spiked like Zack's. The corners of the teen's mouth were turned up into a smile that brought a smile to Angeal's face. Cloud didn't look like he could hurt a fly, but the large First knew better; this boy had supposedly saved Zack, he'd have to remember to thank the blonde.

"A lot of people do that when they see him smile," Zack told him as he handed the phone back. The young First turned the phone so that he could look at the picture for a moment before flicking it shut. "Then there are some like Reno and Genesis," he threw a heated look at the man, "that leer at him like they're starving men and he's a piece of meat."

"Gen, if Lazard sees a trooper's picture on your phone you know as well as I do that it's gonna lead to questions…" he told his friend, knowing that it would only bother Zack more and more as time passed.

"Zackary has a picture of him on his phone," Genesis pointed out without looking up from the message that he was spelling out. No doubt sending the picture to Sephiroth, but he wouldn't tell Zack that; he knew that his student would throw a tantrum.

"Zack isn't nine years older than him," Angeal shot back, sounding bored. Genesis finally looked up at him and made a small noise that clearly sounded like annoyances. He and Angeal shared a long look before he sighed and gave in.

"Fine… I was only going to stare at it in appreciation…" he growled and scooted forward so Zack could see him delete the picture. The teenage First made a happy little sound as he watched Genesis erase the picture from his phone.

The double doors leading into the training room squeaked in protest as they were opened. Zack and Genesis looked up, expecting to see Tseng coming to check on them; instead they were shocked the see Cloud walking in with Zack's friend, Kunsel. He quietly thanked the man for showing him where Zack was. It was the same soft voice as the one on the other end of the phone, and without the odd recorded quality between them. It was quite pleasing to listen to.

"Thank you, sir," Cloud saluted Kunsel, making the man grin.

"Just call me Kunsel. See ya round, Cloud," Kunsel said lightly, throwing a casual wave at Zack as he walked out.

Cloud lowered his hand, and turned to look at the three men sitting on and near the training mat. Bright blue eyes settled on Zack as he made his way over to the little group. "Sirs!" he snapped to a quick salute. Zack quickly waved off the formalities in favor of pulling the younger teen to the floor with him.

Genesis and Angeal watched on quietly as Zack wrestled Cloud into submission, all the while scolding him for calling a friend 'Sir'. The raven haired teen ended up sitting on the poor infantryman, squishing him beneath his heavier weight. After he was sure the message had gotten across he let go and straightened himself up. Cloud slowly pushed himself off the floor, looking thoroughly mussed. "Zack, you messed up my hair…" he muttered dejectedly, completely embarrassed at being manhandled in front of two of SOLDER's top operatives.

"We were actually just talking about you," Zack told him, snickering at the even wilder hair than normal. He watched as Cloud finger combed his hair until it looked similar to what it normally did.

"About me?" Cloud mumbled, casting a quick look at Genesis and Angeal. His eyes finally returned to Zack, "Why would you be talking about me?"

The boys went on talking, but Angeal became distracted by an almost inaudible buzz. Slate eyes slid from Cloud and Zack to Genesis.

The copper haired man was sitting up in an unnaturally straight position. His aqua colored eyes flickered down to his pocket before he turned his head to Angeal so quickly that it surprised the larger man that he hadn't given himself whiplash. "I have something to attend to, for the rest of his punishment make your puppy do squats until he can't stand up straight…" The copper haired general stood up gracefully and left without another word; on his way out Angeal saw him pull his phone out. Angeal mused that Sephiroth must have messaged Genesis back then his attention was turned back to the two teenagers.

Zack was grinning ear to ear and Cloud was a bit red in the face. The blonde lowered his head and looked at his friend through his bangs, "That's not funny Zack," he pouted slightly.

Angeal was left to wonder what he had missed, because Zack looked at him and smiled obviously about to change the subject.

"So Angeal, this is Cloud Strife. Cloudy this is Angeal Hewley, my mentor," Zack introduced the two amiably. He grabbed their hands and made them shake.

Cloud looked on, stunned as his hand was put into Angeal's much larger one. Angeal watched him as he looked down at their hands with an unreadable look. His hand fit perfectly into the black haired SOLDIER General's.

Cloud peeked up through his bangs at Angeal, looking almost shy, "It's nice to formally meet you, sir." He offered a small smile to the larger of the two Firsts.

Angeal smiled a bit and gave his hand a firm shake, "It's an honor to finally meet you, Strife."

Cloud lifted his head and shook it slowly, "Cloud is fine, sir."

The older First had to smile, "Then please, call me Angeal." He watched as Cloud flushed and began to sputter protests about being respectful and what not.

Zack proceeded to babble on, making sure to talk above Cloud until he quieted down. He went on for around half and hour before getting Cloud to open up a little more; though he still seemed nervous. Ocean blue eyes kept flicking over to Angeal, though the man pretended not to notice.

The blonde proceeded to tell them that he didn't have guard duty until late in the evening and wasn't doing much of anything until then; so, he had decided to seek out Zack to apologize for getting him in trouble.

Zack grinned and pulled Cloud into a bear hug, "Aw, that's so nice of you." He seemed to purposely ignore the blonde's protests and wiggling to get free. He appeared to be going out of his way to make the younger teen flustered and messy looking. It really did look like a display of brotherly affection, and that in itself made Angeal smile.

When Zack finally let the wiggling blonde go he acted like nothing had happened; Cloud's lack of breath, messy uniform, and wild hair said otherwise though. It looked like they had done a little more than hug, but Angeal knew how affectionate his student could get.

"So, did you ever manage to get your hands on a sword?" Zack casually asking the blonde, interrupting his mentor's thoughts.

Cloud shook his head and began to finger comb his hair again, muttering about how his friend had no respect. "I don't have any money Zack, and Shinra is reluctant to let their troopers spar or train together with anything live. If I can't convince them to let me, I'll never be ready for the SOLDIER exam…" he sighed and dropped his hand, leaving his hair a mess.

"That sucks man. I'll see what I can do… I'll talk to Sephiroth about talking to the President, so maybe they'll put the troopers through at least basic sword training. You guys need some form of defense besides the M16 and nightstick," the older teen told his friend, grinning the whole time.

"That M16 saved your butt Mr. SOLDIER," Cloud smiled playfully. Zack let out an indignant squawk and attempted to pull Cloud to the floor again.

"Maybe I won't do you a favor then," the older boy teased back. "How would you like that, huh?" he asked, glaring at the blonde who was just smiling at him; the black haired teen's angry act was ruined by the large grin on his face, but it didn't stop him from trying to be convincing.

Angeal perked up at the mention of the incident he wanted to bring up. "Speaking of which," he turned his eyes to Zack as he spoke, a stern look set on his face. Zack shrank immediately. "You still haven't been disciplined for neglecting your duties on the battlefield," his student's eyes widened as if he knew what his mentor was going to say next. "I do believe that Genesis was onto something… Get started Zack, and don't stop 'til I say so," the larger First sternly told his student. When Zack didn't move Angeal did something close to a glare. Zack jumped up and looked at Cloud like he had been betrayed, to which the blonde simply snorted back a laugh and made a shooing motion with his hand. Zack scoffed in disbelief and shook his head, mumbling something about getting him back one day.

Angeal watched Zack for a few minutes before turning to Cloud. The blonde was watching on, smiling widely at Zack. "You want to be in SOLDIER then?" Angeal asked softly. He watched as Cloud stiffened and turned his attention to him.

"Yes sir, more than anything. I… I wanna be First Class," the blonde told him nervously. Blue eyes were downcast and his bangs fell gently across his face. Angeal could see the light dusting of freckles on the teen's face.

Cloud wouldn't last thirty minutes in a room with some of the other SOLDIERs, and the thought saddened Angeal. Shin-Ra really was a terrible place for pretty faces. Most of the Mako enhanced men in SOLDIER were afraid of coupling with civilians for fear of causing injuries in the acts that revolved around sex. Their solution was to find other Mako enhanced individuals, four out of five times it seemed to be for release but the remaining fifth person was the SOLDIERs that had found a relationship in the riffraff. Angeal was surprise that he had protected Zack for as long as he had. Once the teen had gotten to First the black haired man stepped back and let him handle things, but he still checked around for trouble from time to time.

The longer he looked at Cloud the stronger the urge to help him became. He could see the honesty and hope in those ocean blue eyes when Cloud spoke. Angeal knew that Zack wouldn't have died from a monster attack on a routine mission, but he could have been injured; so he owed the blonde for watching his student's back. The least he could do was teach him basic sword skills. He took a deep breath, not sure if he was going to regret his next words or not, "Would you like me to train you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Been busy, and lacking a muse. Not very far into the new chapter of Unwound and I picked up a prompt form the Meme on LJ. ewe I'll post it when I'm done with it.

Guys, I really have been trying to write, I'm not gonna drop anything, so don't freak out if I don't update for a while. My mom is having surgery at the end of the week and I'm gonna have to take care of her, so that may not leave a whole lot of time to write. Sorry, I'll try my best to get more done, but no promises.

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><p>It had been a week since he had started training Cloud and he was already recognizing a raw talent similar to the one that Zack had had when he first began training under him. The blonde was focused and serious about his training, something that Angeal respected in someone so young. Sometimes he couldn't get Zack to sit still long enough to explain what he needed him to do. The differences were innumerable, the main one being that where one was reserved the other was rambunctious.<p>

Cloud listened to instructions well, and fought on even when he knew that help would make things easier. Angeal admired his perseverance, but warned him that sometimes he would have to ask for assistance; to which Cloud would scowl but nod in agreement to. He couldn't train the blonde the same way that he trained Zack. Cloud was unenhanced, and couldn't be thrown into battle without close supervision; Angeal wasn't willing to risk the boy's life if he couldn't react fast enough so he settled on one-on-one training. It was an exercise in restraint for the bulky First, holding his strength in check while attacking the blonde. To Cloud's credit, he took it all in strides even when he was sent sprawling.

Every evening, at around five, they would meet in the matted training room and go over basics, making sure that they were drilled into the blonde's head; until training ended at seven thirty. Zack would forego work to go to the observation room above the matted floor and watch. He hadn't taken it well when Angeal had told him that he could not train them together because of the strength difference; but he was adjusting, and often telling the older man that he was being too rough with Cloud.

Late one night, after sending the blonde boy back to the barracks, Angeal saw Sephiroth coming out of the observation room. The silver haired man had a thoughtful look on his face as he made his way over to his black haired friend. They walked together in silence for some time before Angeal spoke up.

"So, were the other two VR rooms occupied?" he asked, already knowing that Sephiroth was there to see his new student.

"No. I thought that I would come and see what kind of trouble you adopted this time," the silver haired man said softly. Angeal knew that the criticism was coming, Sephiroth was notorious for being brutally honest. "I see potential in him, but he is a bit small to be using a broad sword, is he not?" the General asked, knowing that Angeal was going to disagree with him.

"Cloud handles himself quite well with a large weapon, he has trouble with the M16 that he hauls around," the black haired man chuckled, "he told me that it would do more damage if he threw it at the enemy."

Sephiroth's lips quirked slightly, smirking at the thought. "Do you think you can handle mentoring two students? I am aware that it has already been a week since you started training him; but do you think that you can keep up this routine?" the small smirk was gone and his voice was calm, giving no indication of his worry.

"It's kind of nice, and really different. Do you know how hard it is to train an unenhanced? It takes a lot of restraint… I'm mindful, but I'm still afraid that I'm going to hurt him somehow," Angeal said honestly, then continued on, "Even if I did hurt him, he wouldn't say anything… It's troublesome at times," he concluded softly.

Sephiroth grunted in agreement and stopped walking. When Angeal slowed and turned back to look at him he saw that the General's arms were crossed, and he had a conflicted look on his face. "I assigned his unit to patrol during the Kalm Festival. Do you think he will be able to handle that?" he asked, searching Angeal's face for any sign of anxiety. Sephiroth's handsome face remained stoic and calm, but his black haired friend could tell that he was concerned.

"He should be, it's just patrolling. You never showed concern like this for Zack," the black haired man gave Sephiroth a suspicious look, unsure of the man's motives.

"Strife is very… pretty, Angeal. I have heard the Seconds, Thirds, and Genesis talking about him since you have taken him in. I am just… concerned about him being able to adequately defend himself if need be," the silver haired man lifted a hand to silence Angeal before he could interrupt. "I understand that, before he came to train under you, a Turk was harassing him. I do not wish for anything that involves sexual misconduct to be pushed on any of the troops or SOLDIERs under my command; and it would be extremely unfortunate for such a thing to happen to a student training under my friend. I am not showing favoritism, I am only trying to help protect my men," Sephiroth's voice sounded bored and disinterested, but Angeal knew better.

The black haired man smiled warmly at his friend, "Thank you, Sephiroth." He knew that the General was socially inept, but the man's heart was in the right place. "Zack mentioned that people have a tendency to look at Cloud, and I've noticed some of the others staring at him; but to be honest I put it off as them being curious about an infantryman being in the SOLDIER training area. Hm," the more Angeal thought about it the more he realized that Sephiroth was right.

"I have made my point. He will be sent out during the middle of the week, so see that he doesn't slack off. If this apprenticeship interferes with his normal duties it will have to stop, so make certain that you don't work him until he drops," Sephiroth began to walk again as he spoke; his long legs carried him almost all the way down the hall before Angeal decided to follow.

xXx

Zack sat heavily upon the chair before Angeal's desk, his boots propped up on the corner. His feet hurt and his uniform was caked with mud, blood, and Gaia knows what else. He had just come back from a mission, and hadn't even had the decency to bathe before barging in, and making a nuisance of himself. The older man tried not to let it bother him. He knew that Zack was worried about his friend, hell, Angeal himself was worried for his little blonde student. He had been sent out on a mission to the Mythril Mines to help clear out a small Castanets infestation. Nothing for that a SOLDIER, or trained trooper couldn't handle; but that didn't stop the worry from setting in.

After Sephiroth had given him a heads up on the mission he had trained the blonde with fire materia, something to give him a bit of an edge over his companions. Zack called it favoritism, on both Sephiroth and Angeal's part, but he really had no room to talk when he was coaching the blonde on what kind of monsters were in the area.

"I hope Cloud's okay…" Zack finally voiced his worry. Angeal nodded absently as he skimmed another request for new equipment. The man was trying to keep busy, to keep his mind off of such things, but it wasn't working well with Zack sitting there voicing Angeal's own worries.

"What if they run into a Zolom?" His student asked, horror evident in his voice. Angeal stopped his reading and looked up at the younger man. He hadn't even considered the Zoloms, it was something that Sephiroth would have mentioned; the possibility of his student being eaten alive by a giant snake…

"He's not going to run into any Zoloms Zack. Sephiroth would have mentioned something like that, they're just going to take care of a small infestation. They'll be back soon," Angeal tried to reason, not doing very well at convincing Zack, let alone himself.

"But, what if they do? What if Sephiroth didn't think about it?" Zack said frantically as he removed his muddy boots from the corner of Angeal's desk.

"I'm sure that-" Angeal tried to answer, but was cut off.

"What if he's dying in the mud from the poison? Or was eaten by the damn thing?" the young first covered his face with his hands. "I can't even think about it. My little buddy… OH ANGEAL!" Zack wailed, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Angeal let loose a long suffering sigh, and tried not to let those thoughts sink in too far. "Sephiroth thinks everything through, Zack," he answered, "you know that."

Zack wailed again, jumped up from the chair, and started toward the door.

"Where are you going?" the older man asked, rising from his seat; hoping the boy wasn't going to do anything stupid or troublesome.

"I'm gonna get a chopper to fly me out to the mines," Zack told him, determination clear in his voice. Before Angeal could open his mouth, Zack flung the door open, and slammed into the person waiting on the other side. The raven haired teen still stood while the visitor fell back onto his bottom.

It took all of five seconds for Zack to make a noise, in a pitch only dogs should have been able to hear, and gather the stranger into his arms.

Angeal let out a heavy breath, he knew who it was; and was thankful that the boy had at least made it back. Zolom or not, he had completed his mission, and that put him one step closer to his goal.


	5. Chapter 5

Uuum... Hi. It's been a while since I've written for this story... It's not edited... *Shifts* Unwound's new chapter has had eleven pages finished for it for close to six months... I wasn't happy with Genesis' attitude, but I've gotten over that. I'm also trying to edit the chapters... Thanks for being patient.

As always thank you for the reviews and alerts. They really help. :3

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><p>Angeal gave his raven haired student a sidelong glance. Zack had been in a sour mood since he had shone up for training. His face was far from his usual cheery, upbeat smile; a scowl had been fixed on it for half the day, never cracking a smile once. Angeal was beginning to worry about him when he refused to eat lunch, instead staying in the training room and venting his foul mood on a helpless punching bag. The younger First was muttering to himself as he cut loose on the bag, hitting it so hard that one of the chains holding it to the ceiling broke. Angeal sighed and approached cautiously.<p>

"Okay Zack, I'll bite… what's wrong?" the older man inquired curiously. Zack slowly turned to look at Angeal, his expression was troubled. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he adverted his eyes from his mentor.

"I'm just irritated… it's…" he mumbled, letting his Mako bright eyes scan the training room. There were a few other people on the matted floor, though they kept their distance from Zack while he was acting on his frustration.

"Apparently it's something," the raven haired teen's mentor said patiently. He knew that it took a lot to get Zack riled up out of anger, the teen was easygoing and it was hard to make him angry.

"You know how they needed infantry on the last mission down in the slums?" Zack asked irritably, his jaw stiff.

"Yes," the First nodded along. There had been a report of strange monsters appearing in the slums, a unit had been deployed to take care of it; with the help of a SOLDIER, or course.

"Cloud got hurt… because of a negligent commanding officer…" the teen's voice was low and, almost, calm. Dangerous.

"Cloud can handle himself… you know how independent he is. Are you sure it was the officer's fault?" Angeal asked tensely. Sometimes he got the feeling that Cloud would die rather than ask for help, it was bothersome; but the boy was stubborn in his ways.

"The guy got distracted by some girl… Left the whole unit to fend for themselves' while he tried to score a date. Cloud got hurt trying to make sure everyone else was safe…" Zack whispered darkly. His face had become deathly neutral.

Angeal stiffened at the news, "How bad was he hurt? Why didn't anyone inform me?"

"A Malboro was down there… How the fuck do you miss one of those?" Zack all but yelled in frustration. "I just found out, like, an hour ago… he's in the infirmary…" the teen became quiet again, leading Angeal to the conclusion that he was in bad shape. With that thought in mind the First abruptly turned and strided out of the training room.

Angeal didn't realize how quickly he was moving down the halls of the Shin-Ra building. Didn't realize that his face was set firmly, spelling death for any that stood in the way of his student and himself. He didn't even realize that Zack was following until he reached the infirmary, and the teen was standing behind him panting rather loudly.

Slate colored eyes scanned the room, and when he didn't find a blonde head he grabbed the nearest nurse by the shoulder. "I'm looking for a trooper named Cloud Strife," he told her, his eyes still searching the room.

"Oh, the general is sitting with him right now," she told him hesitantly, leading them to a private room at the far end of the infirmary.

"The general?" Zack voiced Angeal's question, to which the nurse nodded and opened the door for them to enter. The room was rather large and had two beds, only one being occupied. Beside the bed sat Sephiroth, looking stoic as ever, but the fact that he was there said volumes about how he felt about the boy; in the back of his mind, this bothered Angeal greatly.

"Cloud…" Zack sighed in relief as he made his way over to the blonde's bed. Bleary blue eyes gazed at him unseeingly for a moment before he faced the ceiling again. Cloud's face was flushed and his hair was saturated and sticking to his forehead. Sky blue eyes flicked over to the general long enough to see that he had his eyes on the blonde.

Angeal thanked the nurse, and she in turn told him not to stay long. When she left he turned his attention to his prone student. "Zack, why didn't you come here immediately? Or call me immediately?" he asked as he put a hand to Cloud's forehead. The boy was running a high fever. He was surprised when Cloud made a small noise and looked directly at him.

"I… wasn't thinking… I wanted to find the officer that lead the mission… I'm sorry, Angeal," he murmured as he watched Cloud react to his teacher's touch. Sephiroth seemed equally fascinated.

"Reno, I don't know what to say to you… A guy has never confessed to me before…" Cloud mumbled, looking directly at Angeal; clearly he was somewhere else though. "I don't think I like guys…" Cloud went on, sounding distant.

Zack fidgeted for a moment before speaking to the other teen, "What about Zack?" Sephiroth and Angeal both glared at the raven haired teen. Angeal drew his hand away and opened his mouth to start lecturing Zack about taking advantage of his friend's condition.

"Zack? He has a great personality… but I don't know… if I had to pick anyone I'd say General Hewley… he's strong, honorable, and takes care of people even if he doesn't know them… I really admire him and I trust him with my life," Cloud said with such honesty that it left an ache in Angeal's chest.

Sephiroth shifted in his seat, looking out of sorts. Cloud fell silent, leaving an awkward quietness in the room. Zack was the one to speak first, "Well… I think I'm good lookin'…"


	6. Chapter 6

This has been half finished for about a month and a half... Sorry guys, I couldn't find my muse. Even now, I'm blah. I haven't really been interested in writing, but the inspiration to write caught me when I woke up at midnight and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm runnin' on about two hours of sleep... Sorry for mistakes, you know the routine by now; tell me if you see anything horrible.

Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites. They really help me along.

And for those of you following Unwound I have about three pages typed up... but I've been stuck there for about a month. I'm trying guys, please just bare with me. 

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><p>Zack was away for the week, leaving Angeal with his freshly recovered student. Cloud was clueless about what he had confessed to Sephiroth, Angeal, and Zack. It felt awkward to be alone with the teenager now, and left the big SOLDIER to think about his own feelings. Cloud was at least nine years younger than him, and so much smaller. The boy was considerate and polite; but still stubborn, and even tougher than most, when he needed to be. He was beautiful for a boy, but didn't let his looks go to his head; in fact he became generally uncomfortable when he was complimented. Modest. He was positive and energetic most of the time, with the occasional bout of depression. Angeal certainly liked him, but he wasn't sure if he LIKED him.<p>

"General Hewley? Would you like me to get you something to drink, you seem… overexerted?" Cloud asked from his spot on the floor, a few feet away from the larger man. Angeal stopped his demonstration and turned to the boy… That's what he was, a boy… The black haired man had to remind himself of that, Cloud was still practically a child.

He wasn't about to tell Cloud that he hadn't been sleeping well, and that he was running on fumes. He settled for asking the boy why he thought he was overexerting himself, "What makes you think that, Cloud?" It came out sounding snappy and irritable, leaving the boy to lower his gaze and become quiet.

After several minutes of silence Angeal's guilt finally broke free, "I'm sorry, Cloud… A drink would be great…" he murmured roughly. The boy made a quick escape to find his mentor something cold and bottled. Angeal watched him go, and an exasperated sigh left him when the door shut behind the blonde.

His thoughts were still on that day in the infirmary.

XxX

Sephiroth had been quick to leave after Cloud's confession, he hadn't said a word; just got up and left. Zack continued watching over Cloud, like an overprotective guardian. Angeal felt very much the same, they had sat in silence until a knock came to the door. Zack got up from his spot beside the blonde and walked over to the door, mumbling about insensitive people and how his 'Spiky' needed rest.

It shouldn't have surprised Angeal when Reno of the Turks was standing on the other side of the door, but it did. Turks weren't suppose to like anything, for fear that it could be used against them, but obviously Reno felt something for Cloud.

"How's he doing, yo?" the fiery haired Turk asked as he breezed in past Zack. The SOLDIER quickly took hold of the lanky man's shoulder to stop him from proceeding any further. Reno seemed to humor Zack, because he didn't try to maneuver out of the way or escape.

"What are you playing at, Turk?" Zack asked, low and dangerous; obvious having the same thoughts as Angeal. The larger SOLDIER had never seen his student so ruffled, Zack seemed to have found something to protect.

Reno cocked an eyebrow at the younger black haired man, "I'm here to check on my buddy… problem, Fair?" his lazy drawl had all but disappeared and was replaced by a snippy, curt tone. Clearly he did not like his intentions to be questioned. Reno twisted out of Zack's hold and moved over to the bed, looking down at the fallen blonde. "Poor kid," he murmured before pushing some sweat dampened locks from the teen's face.

Zack hovered behind Reno, looking unhappy about the redhead's soft words. His affection toward the blonde was clear, and Zack did not approve. "Reno, what is it that you want from Cloud? What are you getting out of it?" he asked quietly, dangerously.

"Getting out of it? I dunno what you're talkin' about, yo. He's just my bud, is it wrong for me to have friends?" the redhead asked venomously, but still managing to keep his voice down to a suitable level; as to not disturb Cloud.

"Yes, it is. You're a Turk. You're married to your job and you're messing with his head. Don't play him just for your amusement, Reno," Zack's eyes glowed brighter than normal as he spoke in his calmest voice.

Reno's face contorted into a hateful look as he turned to face Zack. "What the hell is your problem, Fair?" his voice steadily became unstable and began to gain volume.

"You are!" Zack answered simply, his own voice beginning to get louder.

"Enough!" Angeal said in a soft, but authoritative voice. Both his student and the Turk turned to look at him. Both brimming with emotions. "If you're going to fight, do it elsewhere."

Reno's face became neutral and he moved to Zack's seat next to the bed. "How is he doing?" he asked quietly, looking down at the blonde with a softened gaze. Zack came to stand beside him, wisely choosing not to bicker over his stolen seat.

"He was kinda awake a little while ago, said your name, and ended up falling back asleep. What's been going on, Reno?" Zack informed and asked questions of his own. He wasn't going to let Reno know that their private conversation was revealed, but he wanted answers.

Angeal sat quietly, watching his bedridden student, half listening to Zack and Reno carry on. Cloud looked fragile as he laid in the medical bed, hooked up to an IV drip and a heart monitor. He hoped that the blonde would open his eyes soon, maybe fuss at them for worrying over him… something. Something other than laying there… looking so defenseless, and vulnerable… it inspired something almost primal inside of him.

XxX

He had been thinking about his feelings for the blonde constantly after that. He wanted to say he felt the same way about Cloud as he did about Zack. Zack was like a younger brother, someone that he could roughhouse with and train with without second thought… but Cloud… Cloud was different. He could feel something much deeper for the boy. From the moment that he had actually seen him there had been an attraction. After getting to know him; his quiet, shy, and borderline antisocial behavior, and yet… beneath it all was a sweet kid that was determined to make his dreams come true. An innocent child that looked up to him as an idol and role model… and that's exactly what Cloud was, a child…

It left Angeal feeling dirty when he would think about the way the blonde moved, the way that his undershirt clung to his sweating body like a second skin. He had even seen the boy in the showers, but only briefly, not allowing himself anything more than a glance. Plains of soft looking, smooth, and unblemished skin, stretched over sinewy muscle; a pert bottom and long legs. It was more than he should have allowed himself. So much more.

He had memorized the boy's face, and could easily see it behind his eyelids. Round cheeks, pouting lips, a pert but straight bridged nose, and big blue eyes. Eyes that reflected his inner emotions so well… Angeal took a deep breath and opened his slate colored eyes, emotionlessly staring out over the empty training floor.

If only he were older… maybe in a few years…

Cloud didn't take long to return with a bottle of mineral water in hand. He stumbled on his way into the room and nearly ended up with his face planted into the training mat. Angeal simply sighed, knowing that the boy only tripped over himself when he was nervous.

"Cloud, I'm not mad… I'm just tired," he reluctantly tacked on the end. When big blue eyes looked up, regarding him with honest admiration he was left wondering what he could have done to inspire such a look.

"I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me that, sir. It honestly makes me happy that you don't put up a front with me…" Cloud smiled sweetly at him as he handed over the bottled water. Angeal took the bottle without thinking, his attention was focused on his student's admiring eyes and sweet, disarming smile. He could easily see how anyone would find the blonde boy attractive, but the thought of others looking upon him left Angeal feeling a dark, dangerous jealously… Wanting nothing more than to keep it only for himself. To keep the boy only for himself… maybe lock him away from the eyes of others, and take on the responsibility of being his sole caretaker… that couldn't go over well with Zack.

"Cloud, I think we're done for the day," he told the boy as he tore his gaze away from him, desperate to get away from him before he did something he would regret. "You are dismissed," he said firmly, leaving no room for the boy to ask any questions or make any requests. With that being said he breezed past a slightly wounded looking Cloud, and out the training room doors. Both unaware of catlike, green eyes watching from the observational box at the top of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi, guys. I'm not dead or anything. I've just been lacking in motivation. I haven't forgotten about the fics that I'm working on, just been having a hard time sitting down and writing for them...

Reviews, favorites, and alerts are all lovely. Thanks for the support, guys. :)

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><p>Angeal was nodding off as he waited for his younger student to get off of guard duty. He knew that the boy would be tired, but he was adamant on not missing a day of training. Angeal was only available to help the boy about four times a week, and that just drove Cloud to try his hardest to make every session worth the man's time and effort. It was cute, seeing him push himself; even if he was already tired from his day's activities. The dark haired first found it enamoring.<p>

He was in his apartment, sprawled out on the couch with the TV on. His eyes kept flicking up to the clock as he waited for the boy to come knocking on his door. When they first started training it would take Cloud ten minutes to knock on the door. Angeal could hear him outside, in the hallway, talking to himself, convincing himself that he wasn't bothering the man. As time drew on the burly First became accustom to, and almost craved to hear that quiet rapping on his apartment door.

The trooper was almost like a drug to the man… he wanted more and more of him to himself. Cloud's time was stretched so thin though. And when he wasn't with Angeal, he was doing his duties, or spending time with Zack or Reno. The honor bound First hated the part of himself that wanted to monopolize the boy… it was selfish, and childish, and nothing like his normal attitude. He knew though, knew that that part of him had always lurked below the surface. It used to happen with Genesis, before he realized that they just weren't meant for each other. Genesis was a free spirit, much like Zack, and would be bound by no man or woman.

The First started when he heard a knock on his door. He sat up and looked up at the clock, it was early in the evening; giving them enough time to get some basics and possibly a little more done. He got up off the couch and slid his boots on, forwent his sword, and headed to the door. The man opened the door to find Cloud standing in the hall waiting for him. The boy smiled at him and waited for him to lock up his apartment before they headed down to the training floor.

The ride down was silent, but Angeal kept stealing glances of the boy. Cloud was really too pretty for his line of work, and the boy seemed ignorant to the looks that people gave him. The large First could feel a heat coiling in his belly as he stared at the boy's face. His eyes were drawn down to the blonde's pouty lips. Lips that he had been imagining a lot lately. Stretched around his- Suddenly, Cloud turned to look at him. They're eyes locked for a moment before the boy chuckled and smiled at him. He loved those brilliant eyes, and that sweet, boyish smile. They brought so much life to the blonde's, normally, melancholy face. It was something of great beautiful to the large First.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked softly, oblivious to the hunger that was lurking in Angeal's mind.

"Yeah," the larger man answered before he could stop himself. His body was on autopilot as he reached out and brushed his thumb over the corner of Cloud's lips. He whiped, pretending to brush something off of the boy's face. The blonde boy's face flushed as Angeal, begrudgingly, drew his hand away. "Working in the slums again?" the man asked, trying to find a reason as to why there would be something on the boy's face.

"Yeah… I was patroling. Some guy threw a rock at me…" he said, looking dejected.

Angeal felt the mako in his blood surge. "Someone threw a rock at you?" he said, it came out a little harsher than intended. Cloud visibly cringed. The large First quickly made up for his tone, "I'm not mad at you, Cloud. I'm mad at the man who would throw a rock at one of my students… one of the people trying to protect them…"

Cloud relaxed a little, and spoke easily, "It's alright, Sir. He ran after he did it; so, he didn't bother me again."

His response only anger Angeal more, but he was careful not to show it. He knew that Cloud had grown up in a bad environment, and that the boy had been abused in the past. Of course he would be relieved that the man had left and that he hadn't had to resort to force… It was still… frustrating for the mentor.

They arrived at the SOLDIER training floor and the two got off the elevator. They headed for the training room with the matted floor, when they got in the room they found that no one else was in it. Cloud took off his outer shirt, folded it, and set it on a nearby bench before returning to Angeal. The blonde got into position and waited for instructions on his hand-to-hand training.

Angeal took a deep breath, and told the boy to come at him with everything that he had. They sparred for a good hour before Cloud started to slow. The boy had built up his endurance over the past few months, and his mentor was impressed. After another thirty minutes the boy was starting to get sloppy, and the scent of his sweat was in the air.

Angeal tried his best to ignore the smell that was hanging in the air. Tried not to pay attention too closely to the way his student's body was moving, but it was all becoming too much… and soon he couldn't take it anymore. The smell of the blonde's skin, the feel of his muscles moving under his hands when he got him in a hold, and the little noises he made as he hit the mat. It was all too much for the man. Having his body looming over Cloud's as he pinned him wasn't helping in the least.

Large hands felt the soft skin of the trooper's wrists as he held them over his head. Cloud's breath was heavy and uneven, winded from being tossed around by the larger man. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were closed as he struggled to catch his breath. Angeal couldn't help it. The feel of the boy's body below his, the look on the blonde's face, and the submissiveness of his slack muscles… he leaned down, and covered the trooper's mouth with his own.

Cloud's entire body tensed under his, and he felt a shudder run through it. The blonde let out a strange noise, and tried to tug his arms free; when that didn't work he turned his head and broke the contact. Before he could say anything though, the large First caught his mouth again. When the blonde began struggling under him, Angeal growled low in his throat, tightening his hold, and pressed down on the blonde's body with his own. The First was already hard from breathing in the trooper's scent for the past hour and a half, and he ground it down into the blonde. Cloud's noises were becoming more and more distressed, and his body was bucking against the larger man. When Angeal finally released the blonde's mouth, the boy was gasping for air and turning his head to avoid another kiss.

Angeal knew that Cloud knew that he didn't stand a chance against an Enhanced. The boy's beautiful, vibrant blue eyes were watching him, fear was present in those eyes that he had grown to admire so much. The First thought about what he was doing… this was exactly what he prevented other men from doing to his student. He wasn't protecting him so that he, himself, could take advantage. That was just… awful.

He let go of the blonde's wrists, and slid off of him. The trooper remained on his back, with his arms over his head, the way that Angeal had left them; probably afraid to move because of his mentor's behavior. The black haired SOLDIER general looked up his student's body, to his face. The boy's blue eyes were watery, and turned off to the side.

"Cloud, I'm sorry… I-" he started to apologize to his student, before the boy interrupted him.

"You couldn't help it?" he asked bitterly, like he had heard the excuse before; many, many times…

"Yeah…" Angeal finished lamely, adverting his eyes. "I just… I can't get you off of my mind. Even when I'm suppose to be training with and focusing on Zack… you're the only thing I can think of… you've completely absorbed my thoughts. I know it's wrong, with me being you mentor, and having these kinds of feelings for you…" he rambled on as he attempted to express himself to the one person on the Planet that made him so terribly nervous.

Cloud slowly sat up and looked at his mentor. "Really? Do you really mean that?" he asked softly, shyly almost.

Angeal shut his mouth before something stupid came out, and nodded his head. A wave of shame washed over him when his length twitched, as the boy scooted closer. Cloud's hands moved up, and turned his mentor's head so that they were face to face.

"I… if it's you… then I guess it's alright…" he whispered to the larger man. The blonde moved awkwardly, scooting forward before pulling Angeal down to place a clumsy kiss on his lips.

A warmth spread through the SOLDIER's chest as he started moving his mouth against the trooper's. His large hands slid down the boy's sides and held his hips. His mind was blank, except for thoughts of what was about to come from this encounter. What he had been dreaming of for the past few months… since seeing the boy for the first time… everything just felt so right…

He eased Cloud back onto the mat, and leaned over his body, between his legs; resting on his elbows, and taking care not to put his full weight on the boy. Their kiss was becoming sloppier, and soon it was the blonde fighting to keep up with his mentor's feverish pace. Angeal let his tongue slide into the boy's mouth, and was pleasantly surprised when Cloud's tongue met his own. They pushed against one another, and the slick muscles slide along each other easily.

Angeal hummed his approval when he felt Cloud getting hard against his stomach. He began putting off a pleasant smell as well, a mixture of arousal and his own natural scent. The aroma made the SOLDIER's erect length twitch and strain against the crotch of his fatigues. He pulled his hips up, letting himself rest on his elbows and knees over the beautiful trooper below him. Cloud's thighs rest on his own, and his legs spread a little wider. Giving himself over to his teacher. Angeal growled softly as he thrust his hips forward, meeting Cloud's cloth covered bottom. The boy grunted, but didn't stop kissing him.

He humped the blonde again, and again. Over and over; butting his hips against the trooper's firm backside. He leaned, resting his weight on one side, to free one of his hands. That hand moved down Cloud's undershirt until it reached the hem, where he slid it beneath and pushed the shirt up to the boy's chin. When they separated the blonde's chest was heaving and he turned his head to catch his breath. Angeal looked down over Cloud's exposed muscles.

He was shaping up to look like a SOLDIER trainee. The black haired SOLDIER groped at the trooper's chest, and brushed his thumb over the boy's nipple; before he slid his hand down his abdomen. His muscles were firm, and lean, beneath his soft skin. Angeal felt a surge of pride, seeing that their hard work was paying off. The man let his hand slip down over the crotch of Cloud's pants before he gave him a squeeze, causing the boy gasped and bucked up into his hand; letting him hear and feel how eager he had become.

Angeal massaged the trooper through his pants for a time, letting him get used to the feeling of another person touching him. When he finally decided to unbutton the boy's pants he heard him whine in protest. It worried him for a moment, and caused him to look up at Cloud's, almost, dazed expression.

"You can't just stop…" the boy whispered, making Angeal chuckle at him.

"I'm not," the larger man assured him as he undid the button and zipper of the trooper's pants. He let his hand slide down over the silk boxer's underneath. The material was soft under his calloused fingers, letting him feel everything without actually taking hold of Cloud's erection.

Cloud let out a quiet, little moan as Angeal continued to fondle him, and squeeze him through his underpants. The blonde's hands found their way into his mentor's shoulder length hair. His fingertips massaged the man's scalp, making his eyes fall half lidded. "Angeal…" the boy breathed softly, almost inaudibly. It caught the SOLDIER's attention because it was the first time he had ever heard his name on the trooper's lips.

"Cloud…" he sighed as he leaned up to kiss the boy again.

A knocking sound jarred him.

Angeal opened his eyes to see the ceiling of his apartment's living room. He cursed softly, and sat up on his couch; before letting his head fall into his hands. This was getting ridiculous. He was hard, achingly so in his fatigues. His dreams had been so vivid lately, feeling so real… Cloud was turning sixteen at the end of the week… Angeal wanted to wait at least a couple more years for the boy to be able to grow up, but he was so tempted to ask for, what he assumed to be, Cloud's first time. The thought of anyone else having it was enough to make the mako in his blood flare up.

He wasn't oblivious, he saw the way that others looked at the blonde. It was just as Zack had said. Some admired, but others had darker intent hidden in their eyes. And Sephiroth… he didn't know what he was going to do about Sephiroth…

The silver haired man had never really shone an interest in anyone before, and part of Angeal felt as though he should try and get the two closer… promote grow in the bond that was forming between them. The man was showing up more and more. Talking to Cloud more casually each and every time. He would tell Cloud to call him by his name and the blonde would just blush and shake his head; but he had given in once and called the man by his name, bringing a strangely warm smile to the Silver General's lips. He always called Angeal 'Sir'…


End file.
